Jhabua (MP): The powerful explosion near Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district that lead to the deaths of over 90 people on Saturday was caused due to a short circuit at a shop where gelatine sticks were stored, and not because of a cylinder blast at an adjacent restaurant, the police have said.
The owner of the shop where gelatin sticks, used in mining, were stored has been booked by the police. He is on the run.
Over 90 people died and nearly 100 were injured in the explosion that also ripped apart the two-storey building housing the restaurant. Initial reports had cited a cylinder blast as the reason for the explosion.
A district police official had yesterday cited the restaurant’s proximity to a busy bus stand as the reason for the high number of casualties.
As per the earlier reports, the explosion at Sethiya Restaurant, situated near a bus stand in Petlawad town, about 60 kms from the district headquarters, happened around 9 this morning. As a result of the impact, the single storey building housing the restaurant collapsed.
Police sources say explosives for making fireworks were allegedly stored in the restaurant located in a residential area. Reports also suggest that the explosion caused damage to a number of adjacent buildings.
